Have you ever opened your refrigerator and said with passion, “Whoa, what IS that smell?! I have and it’s no fun. I quickly launch a breath-holding expedition to find the source of the foul smell that is making everything stink too.

We don’t just leave it there do we? We get rid of it. We agree that it’s unacceptable and do something about it.

There are things that can make your leadership team or staff “smell bad” too.

I call them the foul four. I recently checked my thinking by doing quick interviews with a half dozen “bosses” of church staff asking the question: “What are the characteristics of staff you like the LEAST? The four held steady.

They are:

Excuse makers

Complaint givers

Negative thinkers

Entitlement believers

Notice that all four are attitudes, not skills. That’s a major insight! It is also insightful that I don’t need to write a paragraph about each one. I could, but you already know exactly what each one means and you can name people you know that fit in each category. The question is, will you allow that on your team?

The good news, though we are all susceptible to at least one of these, we don’t have to live in any of them. I know which one is my weakness, so I watch for it. By being aware I’m in the game to intentionally not live there. Yes, I might slip, hopefully very briefly, and then quickly rise above.

Attitude is always a choice. In fact, Paul writes in Philippians 2:5 that we should have the same attitude as Jesus! If that seems impossible, the Holy Spirit will help you.

I trust there is a leadership fragrance about you and your team that draws people toward you. And if something “smells” bad, you will do something about it.

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Dan Reiland is the Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He previously partnered with John Maxwell for 20 years, first as Executive Pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, then as Vice President of Leadership and Church Development at INJOY.